The increasing complexity of electronic tasks (e.g. executable programs such as computational tasks, command execution, and data collection) has increased the demand for resources used in accomplishing such tasks. Resources may include hardware that aids in completing electronic tasks, such as servers, clients, mainframe computers, networks, network storage, databases, memory, CPU time, and scientific instruments. Resources may also include software, available network services, and other non-hardware resources.
One response to the increased demand for resources has been the development of networked computing grid systems, which operate to integrate resources from otherwise independent grid participants. Computing grid systems generally include hardware and software infrastructure configured to form a virtual organization comprised of multiple resources associated with heterogeneous clusters in often geographically disperse locations.
Electronic tasks, often referred to as “jobs,” typically require certain amounts or types of resources for completion. Once a job is created, it must be assigned, or scheduled, to sufficient and compatible resources within the computing grid system. Job scheduling in grid systems has typically been accomplished with a centralized scheduling component deployed within resource management software associated with the grid. With centralized scheduling, jobs do not make any scheduling decisions; rather, scheduling decisions are left to the centralized scheduler, which matches jobs with resources.
Grid environments, and particularly the jobs and resources associated therewith, have become increasingly distributed and dynamic, which has lead to various problems with traditional resource management software. For example, it has been found that increased demand on centralized schedulers has led to the erroneous assignment of jobs to insufficient resources. Additionally, expansive grids may employ different types of resource management software, which can affect the compatibility of jobs with particular resources. In essence, centralized job scheduling mechanisms have become less scalable and less efficient.
Accordingly, improved systems and methods for scheduling jobs in a computing grid system are desired.